In 14 years time the 2026 Commonwealth Games will have just finished, and we will have been well acquainted with the next generation of sporting heroes.

In 14 years time the 2026 Commonwealth Games
will have just finished, and we will have been well acquainted with the next generation of sporting heroes.

Many of those new sporting icons may have already won a gold medal at the Olympics
in 2024.

Right now those potential gold medal winners are likely to be around 8-years-old, it could be your son, daughter, niece, nephew, brother, or sister.

They might have just been inspired by one of Wales’ seven Olympic medalists, they might have never even given a thought to the sport at which they could one day be Olympic champion.

The year 2026 seems a long way away, in fact if you ask a 10-year-old what they might be doing in 2026 their answer will probably be reminiscent of the synopsis for a futuristic sci-fi movie.

But as reported by WalesOnline
in November of last year, the Commonwealth Games could be coming to Wales in 2026. After the success of London 2012 it seems that the time could be right for Wales to host a major sporting event.

It’s still early days, but a Welsh Government spokesman told WalesOnline:

“We have made a commitment to work with Cardiff council to look at the feasibility of bidding to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.”

London 2012 may have acted as a good poster for Wales’ abilities to host sporting events, there was a party atmosphere in Cardiff for the Olympic football, and despite one particularly excruciating evening of queues and confusion at Cardiff Central station, the transport infrastructure held up for the most part.

If a bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games is put together then perhaps funding could be directed into the transport network in Wales, particularly if stadiums and arenas to the west of Cardiff were to be employed.

As always, there will be strong competition for the bid from elsewhere, and Wales will have to put forward a strong argument as to why it should host the Games.

The cost of the preparation and hosting could run up to £530m, but existing venues tipped to host events include:

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will give those young boys and girls inspired by the seven medals won by Welsh athletes in London a chance to compete for Wales.

The news that a major tournament could be coming to Wales might act as added inspiration for those young athletes, and a quick glance over the potential venues listed above shows that Wales has the facilities to help its young athletes grow up to be some of the best in the world.

A Wales Commonwealth Games in 2026 would be perfect timing for the next generation of Welsh stars, and after the London 2012 Olympic Games and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, why not let Wales show the world what it can do.

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